Save Me
by jonara
Summary: In a world run rampant by the infected, Clark and the gang try to discover secrets that will put and end to the chaos, while at the same time Clark realizes it's time to let go of some of his own secrets.
1. Prologue

I'm new to uploading fic here...so I seem to be having a problem with a few things. As you can see for starters, the formatting is all wonky…things are spaced super far apart. Doesn't look like this in Word, and I did save as html for webpage to save formatting as suggested. Also I'm having a prob with not being allowed to just call my prologue just 'prologue' in the system...it wants to name it 'chapter 1'. This makes the actual chapter 1 be called 'chapter 2' in the system. So just a warning so you don't get confused as to what chapter you are reading. If anyone cares to drop me a line and help me out, I'd appreciate it. 

****

TITLE: Save Me - Prologue

RATING: PG13  
AUTHOR: suprdreemz  
E-MAIL: jjadedone@yahoo.com  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, I'm only playing with them. 

SPOILERS: To be safe, everything up until Slumber.

PAIRING(s): Clark/Lana  

GENRE: Action/Adventure/Romance/Angst/Future Fic

SETTING: A few years into the future where Kryptonite mutations are widely occurring phenomena causing troubled times and much turmoil. Clark and his friends now live in a world struggling to recover.

SUMMARY: "…. We've all had to face a lot of dangers and take matters into our own hands because we wanted a future for ourselves…for our children. Stress like that tends to give a person new perspective on life, makes them realize that if they only had it to do over again… maybe they'd do it this time with out all the secrets."

POV for prologue: 1st person, Clark

POV for rest of story: omniscient/3rd person

AUTHORS NOTES: will follow at end of chapters

~S~

What if, what is isn't true?  
What are you going to do?

~Smashing Pumpkins – Apples and Oranjes

Prologue

~S~

Smallville has definitely seen it all by now. In fact most of the country has. With kryptonite experiments creating basically a complete new race of people, a so far very dangerous race of people, the government has been running in circles trying to figure out what the heck to do about it. 

Because of this I'm beginning to think that my secret shouldn't be so amazing anymore. But then my father insists that teenagers with mutant side effects resulting from a green meteor rock are much less exciting these days then an alien from outer space. Or much worse, that alien from outer space might be held responsible for it all. This is why I have to prove otherwise. Why I have to find out who's really behind what's happened. Sure there were some strange affects from the kryptonite here in Smallville over the years, but nothing on the scale we see today. No…it's obvious that someone deliberately spiked Mother Nature's gene pool…big time. 

So as always, I'm reminded to never breathe a word of my secret. Not even to the ones I'm closest to, the ones I trust with my life. Not even if I think it will save a friendship… or that once in a lifetime true love. Well how about a life Dad? Sometimes seconds count, big time. Especially in the world we get to grow up in… a very strange and chaotic world, very different from the one you knew. No, my friends and I were privileged to spend our teenage years chasing bad guys in suits and running from super-freaked out kryptonite mutants who insist they are above the law. 

Kryptonite mutations were voted illegal in 2004, but that doesn't mean they were able to control them. The infected, as most people call them, pretty much have run of the bigger cities, especially the important places like schools and hospitals. Heck, even a trip to the grocery store can be dangerous if not challenging.  So I strongly believe the powers that be are a little too busy these days to even consider that there exists a Kal-El from Krypton. 

I've argued around and around with my father. He won't budge. Mom says I'm an adult, should be attending college this year if the bigger cities hadn't turned into such a post-apocalyptic war zone. She says I should make the decision on my own, but I can see the worry in her face when we discuss it.  They've never steered me wrong before, my parents. I guess that's why I keep taking their advice...and why Lana and I are still apart.

Only now…I'm beginning to really question my father's insistence on the matter. It's not that I don't appreciate what he's trying to do. Parental protection and love is important, even necessary. However, when someone's been messing with Mother Nature, new rules have to be written. I'm thinking very soon, I'm gonna have to write some in my own life. 

~S~

end prologue

tbc in chap 1


	2. Save Me Chapter 1

TITLE: Save Me - Chapter 1

RATING: PG13  
AUTHOR: suprdreemz  
E-MAIL: jjadedone@yahoo.com  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, I'm only playing with them. 

SPOILERS: definitely Dichotic and a touch of Craving, but to be safe, everything up until Perry.

PAIRING(s): Clark/Lana  

GENRE: Action/Adventure/Romance/Angst/Future Fic

SETTING: A few years into the future where Kryptonite mutations are widely occurring phenomena causing troubled times and much turmoil. Clark and his friends now live in a world struggling to recover.

SUMMARY: "…. We've all had to face a lot of dangers and take matters into our own hands because we wanted a future for ourselves…for our children. Stress like that tends to give a person new perspective on life, makes them realize that if they only had it to do over again… maybe they'd do it this time with out all the secrets."

POV for rest of story: omniscient/3rd person

AUTHORS NOTES: if any, will follow at end of chapters

------

Midnight

Abandoned Luthor Corp. Professional Park 

~s~

Lana slowed to a stop as she drove her burgundy Discovery into a secluded spot just beyond the group of buildings and turned of the engine.

It appeared to be the aftermath of a war zone, not an uncommon site these days. High rise buildings with large sections missing, broken glass, giant chunks of concrete lying haphazardly in the middle of a crushed public fountain; a chaotic art form to those loathing anything and everything having to do with Luthor Corp. 

The professional park was Lex's project. It was to be the newest addition to the masses of Luthor buildings that had popped up over the years in both Metropolis and other large cities. This one, however, was located right outside of Smallville; something Lex designed to help bring more Metropolis type jobs to the town's unemployed. Businesses such as local internet service, cable service, a pharmacy and a new bank were just the beginning. All seemed to be going as planned until Lionel pulled rank and took over part of the project. Against his son's wishes he turned the plans for a clinic into a science division for his managing director Dr. Hubert Grossman. It was no secret that Dr. Grossman was a renowned expert in the field of genetic engineering. With so many infected running the streets of Metropolis, rumors of tampering with the meteorite and human genes were a hot topic. This made the laboratories an unwanted and very controversial addition, something Lex fought his father on with everything he had. 

When the plaza saw its destruction six months ago, Lex was neither as disheartened as one would expect from a person who just lost something he'd put his heart into, nor was he completely exonerated of all suspicions by Luthor Corp. Lex began to sense sabotage on his father's interest in the green meteor rock when soon after Dr. Grossman was found dead in his Metropolis penthouse. The life had been sucked out of him like he'd had a visit from Jodi Melville. Sadly this was not an uncommon ability in the year 2006 and so the local police just chalked it up to a random attack by a hungry infected.  Since that event, there had been a string of heavy vandalism cases focused on Luthor Corp. offices and buildings. Still the Metropolis police, most likely out of fear, wrote it off as random acts of violence. Clark and his friends on the other hand did not.

The tables had definitely turned. Some may have assumed that with such power, anything bearing the Luthor name would be the last to stand, certainly not the first to go. The infected evidently had a different belief system and a lot of muscle to back it up.

"I don't like it." Clark was the first to get out of the car. He shut his door and scanned the area, not able to reveal just exactly how much he didn't like it. It was no secret anymore that Luthor Corporation had focused much of its research into studying the Kryptonite. The proverbial cat was allowed out of the bag once the infected started becoming a real problem. An obvious connection between the properties of the Kryptonite and lead had been made. Although Clark didn't know the science of it, he wasn't surprised to find certain led lined walls in the science building. Unfortunately that was exactly where Chloe was supposed to meet her contact and he was not able to peer through the walls to spy out any problems ahead of time. He felt in a sense, blind.

"All I have to do is get the disk from my contact, and then we can go." Chloe reassured Clark as she walked around to the other side of the car and stood near him and Pete. "No big deal, done it a million times."

"Yeah, but nothing this big Chloe'," Pete reminded her. He knew that Clark must have a good reason for concern, one that he probably couldn't voice. And the delicate material supposedly made available to them by Chloe's contact in itself would cause one to be leary.

Just that moment Lana's cell phone rang. She looked at the display to see the number from the Talon and then answered, "Hi… whats up?"

Chloe looked anxiously at her watch and then at Lana.

"Sorry guys, problem at the Talon…I've really got to take this," Lana looked a little confused as to what she should do, then feeling badly about the delay, offered a suggestion. "Why don't you just go on with out me, I'll wait here." Lana recommended then stuck her car keys in the pocket of her jeans and continued her phone conversation. "Yeah…I'm here…so what happened?"

"Pete, you mind waiting with Lana?" Clark asked quietly trying to mask his concern for fear the girls would once again peg him a worry-wart and do the exact opposite of what he hoped they would do. He didn't understand their need for constantly proving themselves. He was confident they were more resourceful then most girls he knew, especially in dangerous situations. 

"No problem." Pete assured.

~s~

The moon was full and bright, shinning through a broken window, leaving the desk and the figure behind it in darkness. Instead, it illuminated just a section of the floor in the middle of what used to be an office.

"I should have expected this from you," The figure cloaked in darkness spoke. "You always did take that school newspaper too seriously."

Chloe squinted at the figure in the darkness and sudden recognition as well as confusion took over her features, "Ian?" She said in disbelief.

"I'm touched you recognize my voice" Ian walked into the moonlit area where he could be seen more clearly. It was the same Ian, or at least one of him, but it seemed that more then just a few years had passed. Signs of aging on his face were clear even in the dimly lit room.

Clark's jaws clenched automatically …this couldn't be right. He'd witnessed Ian's plummet to the bottom of the dam and had forcefully thrown his double into a large metal sign over 3 years ago. Sure Ian looked much older, but it was definitely Ian. The only problem was, they were told he died, and this Ian looked very much alive.

"But I thought you..?" Chloe was in shock. She stood there, frozen as if she were seeing a ghost while Clark did all he could to stop his focused glare on Ian from becoming a beam of heat and frying off his face. He didn't like this, but making a move prematurely might ruin their chances of getting the disk. Something that would hopefully give them the answers they'd been desperately trying to find for the last year and a half.

"Died?" Ian finished in a smooth yet cocky voice. "Done that quite a few times actually..." he slithered closer to Chloe and affectionately caressed her cheek. 

Creepiness oozed in his presence and Chloe was at a loss as to what she'd ever seen in him. 

"Amazing what science can accomplish these days." Ian walked back over to the desk.  "All you need is a strand of DNA, a certain green rock and a genius in the family and it's like you never have to die. Life can be really exciting when you don't have to be bothered with something like that."

Clark started forward, no patience left for this game anymore, however Chloe' sensed it and grabbed his arm before he made a move. If they could just get that disk, she'd go ahead and play Ian's sick little game.

"So you're the one who's been contacting me?" Chloe' asked.

Ian sighed. "No…I'm afraid that privilege goes to her."

Through the doorway from the adjacent room, one of Ian's henchmen appeared supporting the weight of a very dead woman…he let her fall to the floor right in the moonlight. 

"Oh my god," Chloe's heart stopped. The woman was a spitting image of herself. "What the hell's going on you sick bastard!" 

Clark grabbed Chloe' by the shoulders as he now saw two men in the room, each holding a gun pointed in their direction. 

"So you were looking for this I take it?" Ian ignored Chloe's demand for answers and held up a small case that shimmered in the moonlight. 

Chloe eyed the guns pointed in her direction, then looked at Ian and nodded her head.

Ian laughed, "You know, I really do prefer blondes over brunettes... but now I'm afraid, as much as I would like to accommodate you, it's really impossible. You see, if I gave this to you, it would ruin all my fun, and believe me, I'm having the time of my life. Or should I say lives?" He set the disk on the desk, and bent down to pick up a hand sized chunk of concrete and held it above the disk. "I could easily destroy it, but the truth is that another would just be made and I'd be in the same rut." He lowered the chunk of concrete and set it next to the disk. "No, experience has taught me that the best way to handle situations like this is to take care of the ones seeking the information in the first place." Ian nodded to his henchmen who in turn gestured with their guns for Clark and Chloe to move through the doorway and into the next room. 

~s~

tbc in chap 2

A/N: To accommodate my storyline, I've taken GREAT liberties with Ian's character and will continue to do so.  Such as I have no idea if they ever said Ian actually died or not, but barely have the time to write let alone search through all my Smallville tapes to find out for sure. Besides… it wouldn't matter anyways cuz I'm the goddess of this particular little world and I say he died J


	3. Save Me Chapter 2

Save Me - Chapter 2 Rating: pg13 Author: suprdreemz Email:jjadedone@yahoo.com  
  
~S~  
  
"Lana," Pete warned in a dangerously loud whisper. "Don't even go there," He knew exactly what Lana was thinking as he watched her eye the disk.  
  
Hearing Chloe' yell at her supposed contact when he and Lana neared the meeting point, had alarmed them that something was up. Fortunately concealed by the dark, they crouched behind a window that looked into the room. While the glass was broken out, it was still draped with old blinds bent haphazardly from whatever destruction befell that particular part of the building. Both Pete and Lana crouched in the hallway outside, peering through the blinds and watching the events unfold; mindful to make the least amount of noise on the broken glass as possible. They were in agreement of needing to get to the car where Lana had left her cell phone and call for help - however, while peering into the room, they spied a certain disk that Ian had left on the desk.  
  
Lana saw her chance when Clark and Chloe' were escorted into the adjoining room. She looked at Pete with an expression that said, "I'm sorry, I have to" and ignoring his advice, slowly moved out of her hiding place and towards the disk. As she neared the desk she peered into the next room and caught a glimpse of Clark receiving duct tape handcuffs by one crony while another stood guard with a gun pointed at Chloe'. Ian's back was to Lana as he barked out orders.  
  
Clark's eyes locked with Lana's and immediately he knew what she was about to do. The disk was important, but not at the risk of her life. There was no way, though, that he could stop her with out Ian and his monkeys noticing; and he knew if he could, she would never listen. 'Lana can do this,' he told himself and pried his eyes away from her so the others wouldn't notice where he was looking.  
  
Slowly and as quietly as possible, Lana picked up the disk. Once she had it in her hand, she turned slowly and took one step away from the desk and towards Pete.then another, then another.  
  
Then the floor decided to creak.  
  
Lana booked it. disk in hand.  
  
Ian turned quickly, immediately looking through the doorway at the place he'd set the disk. Realizing what had just happened. "Get her!" he yelled.  
  
The crony, who had been standing guard while his buddy taped up Clark, took off in Lana's direction. Pete, still just outside the first room, stuck his foot out into the doorway and sent the unsuspecting pursuer full speed into the hallway wall and then delivered a blow to the back of his head with a large board from a nearby broken shelf, knocking him out cold.  
  
When the distraction automatically caused all eyes in the room to shift to the direction of Lana, this gave Clark a chance to act. As he broke free from the duct tape around his hands, he kicked the gun out of the second crony's hand, who had just grabbed it and was about to aim in Pete's direction. The gun went flying across the room landing on the floor and sliding under a metal cabinet.  
  
The crony dropped to the floor in agonizing pain, his hand obviously broken by the strength of Clarks kick. Chloe', her hands not yet taped, quickly went after the lost gun. Meanwhile, Ian reached for his gun, and just as Clark focused his heat vision in the direction of it.Ian disappeared in a warped blurred flash. It seemed that Ian had obtained a new ability, or had one they didn't know about. Clark just prayed that he still wasn't able to split into two.  
  
This didn't look good for Lana, as much as he wanted to just super-speed after her, Clark knew he had to first make sure Pete and Chloe' would be okay. He could see that outside of the first room, the crony was starting to gain consciousness but Pete now held his gun and prohibited him from going after Lana. After recovering the second gun and making sure that both cronies were securely held at gunpoint face down on the floor by Pete, Chloe' quickly dialed 911 on her cell.  
  
"I'm going after Lana.you can handle this?" Clark asked Pete.  
  
"Yeah.go get her." Pete answered; worried that even Clark wouldn't be fast enough against whatever strange powers Ian possessed.  
  
"Clark!" Chloe' deep in conversation with the police dispatch realized what Clark was about to attempt on his own. She wasn't able, however, to finish her protest, for Clark was nowhere to be seen.  
  
~s~  
  
tbc 


	4. Save Me Chapter 3

TITLE: Save Me – chapter 3

RATING: PG13  
AUTHOR: suprdreemz  
E-MAIL: jjadedone@yahoo.com

  
  


 ~S~

She'd been dangled from a ridiculous height just one too many times. This time, it looked as if it were finally about to break her resolve. Ian had easily caught up to Lana and given her an express ticket to the 10th floor via whatever strange powers he now possessed. The effects of this on Lana, left her extremely dizzy, but still she struggled to fight him off. Vindictiveness being his motivation, Ian waited until she was backed against an open window to threaten her with his gun. He pointed it at her and laughed at how ironic it was that her only choices were to make a high dive or to hand him the disk.

Lana chose the high dive. 

Clark found them just as Ian followed her out the window. "Lana!" Clark panicked as he super-sped to the window. He was relieved to see that five to six feet below was an attached sloped roof from the adjacent building; something Ian failed to realize when he threatened Lana.

Lana, now only a couple of feet away from Ian, was trying her best to make her way to the next set of buildings attached with out slipping on the slanted metal roof. 

Ian had landed awkwardly and was scrambling for some footing. As soon as he stood, he dove towards Lana, knocking her down. It was obvious that he didn't care what happened to either of them, as he held tightly on to Lana instead of grabbing something to stop his fall. They slid all the way down the roof until Lana managed to grab onto a ten inch round exhaust vent with her forearms and hugged it for all she was worth. Ian was left dangling half way over the edge as he held on to her legs. 

"Lana!" Clark yelled. He carefully made his way towards her and Ian, realizing that no amount of super-speed could help him if he too lost his footing.

"Clark! I can't…he's too heavy," The aluminum vent creaked. "I'm slipping!"

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Clark slid towards her and put his foot at the base of the vent to brace himself.

Just as Clark reached for Lana's arm Ian warned, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."  Ian now pointed his gun in the direction of Lana, as he'd now managed to hang on to her with only an arm wrapped around one of her legs. "Not until you find that disk on her and hand it over."

Again the pipe creaked; this time, with a quick jerk, it bent slightly as it threatened to buckle.  When it did, Lana screamed and her arms gave out as she slipped and was now only holding on with her hands. 

"Ian…you're both going to fall! Let me help you!" Clark pleaded loudly.

"The disk first," Ian insisted. "And don't you dare touch her hands or I have no problem pulling this trigger."

Clark looked at Lana, and she knew he was telling her he was sorry. "It's in… the front of my….jeans." She told Clark in between her gasps for strength.

As he slowly and carefully stretched towards her, the vent suddenly jerked again and gave way even more. This caused Ian to loose grip and slide down Lana's leg where he ended up holding on only to her tennis shoe clad foot. His gun dropped as he quickly tried to grab on to Lana with his other hand, but it was too late; Lana's shoe came off. 

Ian still held on to the lavender and white shoe as he fell and hit the cement paved walkway below.

~s~

A few minutes later

~

Clark sat crouched on the floor with Lana as he pretended to catch his breath. They had managed to climb back up the steep roof and were now sitting just inside the window.  He swore with each inhale and each exhale that he was going to find the right time to tell the girls. If they had known his secret, he wouldn't have had to waste precious time pretending he couldn't do anything about their situation. He and Chloe' wouldn't have even been in the mess they were in by the time Lana and Pete got there and most importantly, Lana would not have had to run for her life. 

Lana curled up tightly into herself in order to gain control. An amazing adrenaline rush was attempting to show itself in the shape of tears and she was not about to let it happen. Her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, she fought to ward off the emotional convulsions threatening to take over. Blind with an uncontrollable mix of panic and rage, only one thing was clear…Clark was there. He was always there and so her body succumbed and she fell into his welcoming embrace.

Instinctively, Clark put his arms around her, wanting to tell her it was okay to be upset; she didn't have to prove anything. He wanted to tell her to go ahead and cry, in fact please cry…crying was normal, and to see someone react normal for once would be a sign that this world hadn't completely changed them. He knew however, if he did, she would realize she'd given in and break away from the comfort he desperately needed to offer; comfort she desperately needed to receive. Instead, he remained quiet and continued to gently rub her back, relishing in the excuse to be close. 

He hoped the moment would last a little longer, however, not seconds later Lana broke the embrace and preceded to go off on what bastard that guy was; the whole time wiping away tears she pretended not to have. 

"Are Pete and Chloe' okay?" She asked, finally calming down.

"Yeah their fine," Clark answered as his face scanned hers searching for signs that she really was okay. For a moment they looked at each other and said nothing until Lana was the first to break away.

"Well, I left my cell phone in the car," She said quickly and stood up on shaky but determined legs. "I'll call the police; you go get Pete and Chloe." She didn't wait for Clark to agree, but turned and quickly made her way towards the doorway.

"Wait a minute, Lana, you were just held hostage by another mutant freak…you don't have to go back down there by yourself." Clark reasoned. He could never get used her tough act, and it especially pained him when he knew it had a lot to do with her feelings for him. 

Lana stopped and turned around, "The guy is as flat as a pancake down there Clark…what's he gonna do to me now?" 

Clark winced at her casual attitude over the situation. "Chloe already called the police; they should be here any minute. She and Pete had control of Ian's partners too, but I can't be sure they still do."

"There's the 'I' word again," Lana grumbled. "You're not a one man show Clark."

"I'm sorry," Clark corrected him self, knowing that bugged the heck out her. "WE can't be sure, but we're sticking together," The insistence in Clark's voice was clear. "So let's go find Pete and Chloe'." 

It wasn't about being right, or winning an argument for Lana. It was more about being tired. Tired of loving someone who loved you back by saying you needed to stay apart, yet was always there for you. Tired of being upset at her self for not either being satisfied with the way things were or having the willpower to just leave and start some semblance of a life somewhere else. So she would cope in the only way she knew how; accepting what little her and Clark had together, because even though it wasn't exactly what she'd wished for, it must have been enough. Chloe called her crazy, but she didn't understand. There was a secret Clark had kept for years, and Lana had a feeling she knew what it was; a secret she wanted to desperately keep buried too. And so she didn't argue with him any further, but wore an emotionless expression as she waited for Clark to reach her. Then with his hand at the small of her back, together they went to find Pete and Chloe.

End Chapter 1


	5. Save Me Chapter 4

Save Me

Chapter 4

"Lemme guess…" Chloe quipped as she watched Lana give the detective a run down of the night's events like it was an everyday occurrence.  "You saved her from the clutches of certain death once again," Her banter was light and only a cover; for she too was concerned at the changes her friend had seemed to make over the past few years.

Clark didn't say anything, but watched in concern as Lana led the cops to Ian's body and then pointed up above to the top of the building. It wasn't a particularly high drop and while you'd be lucky to survive if you fell, you most likely wouldn't end up looking as bad as Ian did. 

"How in the heck did you know where Ian was going to 'poof' back into existence Clark? This is a big place." Chloe's mind calculated the possibilities and was able to find none that satisfied her.

"Adrenalines a super drug…didn't you know that?' Pete walked up, having just finished talking to another one of the detectives. "They were messing with the two girls Clark thinks the world of, I'd expect no less of the man" He slugged Clark in the arm. "Right Clark?" 

"Right…" Clark slowly dragged his gaze away from Lana. "...uh...well I heard Lana scream, so I knew the general direction."

"But that mutation Ian has…it must have carried him up there faster then you can run right?" Chloe wasn't ready to let it go with so many unanswered questions. 

 "Well you know Lana, she can put up a good fight… guess it bought Clark enough time." Pete suggested. 

"Chloe… you're bleeding." Clark changed the subject, but was truly concerned about the blood that had begun to seep through a tattered spot on the back shoulder of Chloe's dark red jacket. The color had hindered anyone from noticing it right away.  He reached out to inspect it, but stopped when Chloe winced. 

"Yeah, I guess I shed a couple of layers of skin there when our lovely 'escort' Ian shoved me against that glass medicine cabinet." Chloe laughed it off as she carefully tried to pull her arm out of the jacket. "I can't believe I fell for that guy in high school."

"That looks pretty deep." Pete moved closer, "come on, the paramedics want to take a look at us anyways," Pete gestured towards the ambulance where the paramedics had just finished temporarily wrapping up the hand of the crony that Clark had kicked the gun from. "And don't beat yourself up about that old flame…this Ian was a new improved all around creepier breed...the brainy high school version was actually a little bit more likeable"

Clark looked at Pete like he was nuts and Pete just shrugged his shoulders. 

Chloe sighed and she and Pete walked towards the ambulance, "Clones, mutants…can't live with them, can certainly live with out them."

~s~

The wind was light but insistent and cold. The days were still warm enough being that it was the only the beginning of September, but it was after 1 in the morning and the chill had caused Lana to rub her hands up and down her arms in order to create some warmth. She'd lost not only a shoe in the ordeal, but somehow her jacket too, leaving her with only the thin black t-shirt she quickly threw on before they left.

Clark walked up and noticing she was cold, offered some warmth by putting his arm around her. Lana accepted and allowed him to lead her back towards the burgundy Jeep Liberty. "Watch out for the glass," he pointed out as Lana hobbled next to him across the abandoned construction site.  The police had insisted on keeping her shoe for evidence, so along with trying to walk across the debris with a barefoot, her leg was also very sore from having a 180 pound man hang from it. "If you won't let the paramedics take a look at you, at least let me carry you to the car."

"I'm fine Clark."

"Lana", Clark stopped walking, his usual patience quickly turning into frustration, "no your not. You're not even in remotely near fine," he wasn't talking about her physical cuts and bruises from the night's events. "WE are not fine and if you want the truth… I'm completely miserable." 

Lana appeared shocked at Clark's outburst. They'd gotten into such a routine of not discussing their feelings. It was safe and it worked. She laughed inside at his use of the word truth. Why in the hell was he once again starting something he could never finish?

Clark sighed and then gently touched Lana's face. "I know you must be too."

She let out a frustrated breath as she closed her eyes turned away. Her brows were furrowed and she lightly shook her head 'no'; it was as if she were fighting to gain control of an emotion she didn't want to let loose. "Don't even go there Clark." She warned.

Clark's instincts wouldn't allow him to believe her words, as her actions still often told him otherwise…and so he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. 

Lana didn't fight him, she allowed his strong arms to engulf her yet she did not return the embrace. "Damn it Clark, I can't do this again…you know I can't," her voice sounded panicky, yet muffled from being nuzzled into his shirt. "I've fought too long to be okay with the ways things are now," her breathing started to become slightly erratic and she pushed away from him. "Please don't do this, not again," her eyes pleaded.

His heart ached watching her like this; knowing her pain was always his fault. She used to be so open with her feelings, so willing to walk along side him no matter what. Although he couldn't comply, he both secretly and selfishly depended on that part of her. And all the while he kept pushing her away until finally somewhere, somehow she gave up.  It had been so arrogant of him to think she would always be there.  

Clark worked his jaw; wrestling with what he felt in his heart and with what he knew in his mind.  Only one thing had remained clear to him…then, he'd needed to protect her from the truth…now he believed it was the truth that would protect her. Once he told her, if she still chose to remain just friends, it would be more then he deserved.

 "Not with out honesty this time," Clark lifted her chin and searched her face for acceptance. The ability to infuse everything into her mind with a single kiss; his deep concern, his honest compassion, the truth… he thought, now that would be a power worth having.  His moved his hand from her face and instead grasped her delicate cold hand, "I know I've spent a lifetime apologizing to you, but please believe me when I tell you that I am so sorry for not letting you in. Yes it was wrong if I expected to have a relationship with you, but at the same time I had very good reasons…ones I hope you will understand once I tell you the truth."

"Clark, you don't have to." Lana shook her head in concern. As much as she had come to hate his secret for keeping them apart, she had come to accept and respect that Clark's reasons were very important. They had to be important, because nothing simple should ever have been strong enough to keep them apart all these years.

 "I already made the decision earlier; I'm going to tell you everything, but not here." He looked back towards the buildings. Pete and Chloe were making their way towards them and what needed to be discussed required more privacy. "Please, just let me help you to the car…okay?" 

Lana looked back up at Clark, noticeably unsure, for accepting help this time seemed it would symbolize something more. Finally she relented. "Okay," she said and allowed Clark to scoop her up into his strong arms. As he carried her across the debris, across the field and to the car, she couldn't help but notice the beat of his heart and how good it made her feel. 'You love him….you love him…you love him' seemed to repeat itself in her mind with every beat.

Clark knew there would be no turning back this time. Getting involved with Lana again without the truth was not an option, and not getting involved with Lana was an option his heart could stand no more. 

End chap 4 


End file.
